It’s been 15 years since Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film “Spirited Away” first captured the imaginations of people all over the world. The film won 54 awards, including the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and is frequently ranked as one of the best animated films of all time. For its 15th anniversary, “Spirited Away” will be screened in over 400 theaters on Dec. 4 and 5. For people who may not understand what all of the praise is about, I’ve compiled a list of reasons why “Spirited Away” should be everyone’s favorite movie.
1. It’s beautiful
Every frame in “Spirited Away” is beautiful. At the beginning of the film, there are beautiful shots of abandoned buildings and rolling hills and rocks, but the visuals are at their most compelling after Chihiro enters the spirit realm. There are bright colors, beautiful lights and scary creatures. Some of the most beautiful scenes are quiet and slow, like when Chihiro is riding a train through a river. Even the scenes that are scary and gross are visually compelling.
Hayao Miyazaki is known for spending a lot of time and effort on animation. There is one scene in “Spirited Away” in which the dragon, Haku, falls into a boiler room injured. Miyazaki reportedly used three animals to explain the movement to his animators: The dragon clings to the wall like a gecko and falls to the ground like a snake. When Chihiro forces Haku to eat medicine, the animators used a dog’s mouth as a model. All three models come together to form a fluid sequence that feels realistic, even though the focus of the scene is a dragon.
2. The score
The beautiful visuals in the film are accompanied by music that manages to capture the creepiness of the film along with the nostalgic undertones. Joe Hisaishi composed the score of the film, which consists of songs that are subtle and sad (and good to listen to while you study). One example of this is "One Summer’s Day." It plays near the end of the film and sets the tone for the whole story.
